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the 12 th nit ., showing a balance in the hands of the Grand Treasurer of £ 6 , 090 6 s . 3 ei ! ., and in the hands of tbe Grand Secretary for petty cash , £ 30 . Of these sums there belong to the Fund of Benevolence , ; 6875 1 * . Id . ; to the Fund of General Purposes , £ l , 78 i 7 s . Od . ; and there is in the Unappropriated Account , £ iSG 17 s . 5 d .

¦ 1 . — I HE REPORT OP TEE COIOSIAI BOAED . To ihe United Grand Lodge of Ancient , Free , and Accepted Masons of England . It is with regret that the Colonial Board have to report that , after a protracted correspondence with the Grand Master of Canada , all endeavours to obtain the recognition of the St .

George's Lodge , ( Mo . 4 .-10 ) , Montreal , by the Grand Lodge of Canada , have failed ; the M . W . Bro . Thomas Douglas Harington , Grand Master of Canada , having in a letter , dated the 27 th of June last , stated that he cannot advocate any reversal of a resolution passed by his Grand Lodge , declaring the said St . George's Lodge irregular .

The Colonial Board in their report , dated August 19 th , 1863 ( which was received and adopted by Grancl Lodge on the 2 nd of September following ) , entered so fully into the reasons that led hem to the opinion that the St . George's Lodge was entitled to be considered in every respect regular under the Constitution of the Grand Lodge of England , they deem it unnecessary to

repeat all the details , but it may be well to mention that certified copies of the minutes of the St . George ' s Lodge during the year 1856 are in possession of the Board , showing that the lodge was then holding its meetings regularly ; anel returns to the Grand Lodge of England having been frequently made since that date show that the lodge has continued its labours up to the present

time . It must be borne in mind that the present Grand Lodge of Canada was not formed till July , 1858 , two years and a-half after the St . George ' s Lodge had resumed work after an interruption of three months , caused hy the agitation in Canada for an independent Grand Lodge in the latter part of the year 1855 ,

and that when the Grand Lodge of Canada was recognised by the Grand Lodge of England afc the quarterly communication liolden December 1 st , 1858 , it was stipulated that all lodges in Canada maintaining their allegiance to the . Grand Lodge of England should be recognised by the Grancl Lodge of Canada . That the St . George's Lodge was at that time considered to be one of those lodges cannot be questioned ; as , in a letter dated

February 9 th , 1859 , addressed by the then Grand Master of Canada , Bro . AVilliam Mercer AVilson , to the M . W . Grand Master the Earl of Zetland , and which was laid before Grand Lodge March 2 nd , 1859 , there is the following passage : — " In the district of Montreal and AAllliam Henry there are only four English lodges , and these are all in the city of Montreal , " the St . George's

Lodge being one of the four alluded to . And Bro . AVilson , in another part of the same letter , writes , " I have ever held , and frequently expressed tho opinion , that any subordinate lodge preferring to continue under their English warrant had a perfect and undoubted right to do so , and were entitled not only to recognition from us , bufc to all their Masonic privileges .

The Board cannot refrain from referring to the case of the St Lawrence Lodge ( Ho . 6-10 ) , also meeting at Montreal , and which for a long period was similarly repudiated by the Grand Lodge of Canada j" the St . Lawrence Lodge being one ofthe four allowed by Grancl Master AAllson to be in existence when the Grand Lodge of Canada was acknowledged , and which he admitted had

a perfect and undoubted right to continue to work under the English warrant , and to be entitled to ¦ recognition from the Grand Lodge of Canada , and to the enjoyment of all its Masonic privileges .

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The efforts of the Board having been unsuccessful in obtaining justice from the Grand Lodge of Canada for the St . George ' s Lodge , they now leave the matter to the Grand Lodge , to deal with ifc as may be deemed juat . Some inconvenience has been experienced in consequence of five members out of ten being required to form a quorum of the Colonial Board—a number more than is requisite , and wholly

disproportionate to the number required to form a quorum of the Board of General Purposes , where five only out of twentynine are deemed to be sufficient for ordinary business , and also to the Committee of General Purposes of the Grand Chapter , where three only out of twelve are necessary in any case . It is therefore respectfully recommended by the Board to Grand

Lodge that iu Arfc . 5 , p . 109 , of the "Book of Constitutions , " the work three be substituted for the word jfoe in the second line , so that to remedy such inconvenience in future three members shall form a quorum of the Colonial Board . ( Signed ) J . S . S . Horwoorj , Freemasons' Hall ,

President-London , August 23 rd , 1864 5 . Appeal of Bro . Moss Israel , of the Zetland Lodge of Australia ( Ho . 655 ) , Sydney , New South Wales , against his suspension by the Provincial Grand Master . 6 . Appeal of the "Union Lodge of Portland ( No . 535 ) , St . John's , New Brunswick , against a decision of tlie Provincial

Grand Master in the matter of a complaint against tlie Albion Lodge ( No . 400 ) , St . John's , New Brunswick , for refusing to admit as a visitor Bro . A . B . Spinney , a member of the said Union Lodge of Portland . The appeal cases are in tlie Grand Secretary's office , and open

for perusal till the meeting of Grand Lodge . NOTICE . Bro . Joseph George , AV . M ., No . 780 , will ask the following questions : — " Have the Building Committee granted a lease to the present

tenant ?" " Have they given him permission to convert that lease into a marketable commodity by conveying it to a Joinfc-Sfcock Company ? " And , " Are other than Masons allowed to become shareholders I" '

Metropolitan.

METROPOLITAN .

ICOYAI , OAK LODGE ( No . 871 ) . —This lodge held its regular monthly meeting at the Royal Oak Tavern , High-street , Deptford ( Bro . J . Stevens's ) , on AVednesday , August 21 th . Bro . F . Walters , P . M . 73 and Secretary of the lodge ( in the unavoidable absence of the AV . M ., Bro . C . G . C . Stahr ) took the chair , and , assisted by Bros . H . A . Collington , P . M ., S . AV . ; J . H . Pembroke , J . AV . ; J . Stevens , P . M . ; J . W . Weir , P . M . J . Hawker , AV . S . ; H . J . AVells , G . Holman , R . Mills , R . Phipps , and others ,

opened the lodge . Amongst an unusual large number of visitors we noticed Bros . Dr . Dixon , P . M . 73 , 871 ; R . Hurrell , J . D . 73 , 619 ; J . W . Halsey , P . M . 13-1 ; J . Patte , J . D . 147 ; G . Brown , W . M . 109 ; A . D . Loewenstark , P . M . 548 , 733 ; A . Avery , P . M . and Treas . 619 , and others . The first ceremony was passing Bro . G . Holman to the degree of a F . C , after he had given proofs of his proficiency in the former degree in a superior manner . Ballots , were taken for the following gentlemen , viz .,

Messrs . David Barber anel Henry Stevens , and declared to be unanimous in favour of their admission . Bro . John Stevens , P . M . 548 , and a member of this lodge , then took the chair . Mr . H . Stevens heing in attendance , and he being a Lewis , was duly initiated into Freemasonry by his brother who was presiding . Mr . D . Barber was likewise duly initiated . The ceremony of initiation was beautifully given anel the candidates seemed to appreciate it . The passing was ably given ; in fact it seldom occurs in any lodge , where two P . M . 's are called upon at a